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Shrimp
The Shrimp (plural as both Shrimp and Shrimps) is a large crustacean-insectoid mutant found in the underground metro "rivers" and the swamps on the surface found in Metro: Last Light. Overview Despite a number of forms, all shrimps share several similarities. For one, all shrimp share similar visual characteristics - including long slender bodies ending with pronounced heads, large arm-like appendages, and heavy chitin armor. The hard shells made out of multiple plates or large scales, resemble that of a hybrid of lobster and common cockroach, and is solid enough to absorb or deflect shotgun fire. The end of their tails shows some kind of spikes, like a lot of arthropods, used to dig in the ground, presumably in order to lay eggs. Shrimp, as a category, can be found all over the metro and the surface - always near sources of water, whey they presumably live within. Such behavior suggests their origin could be a river arthropod, such as a crayfish - but it could also be some kind of terrestrial insect brought back to water by radiation. Interestingly, the long extendable limb on their undersides implies that at least some shrimp variants were in fact mutated from dragonfly nymphs, which possess similar grasping mouthparts. A dragonfly origin could certainly explain the shrimps' physical appearance as well as their close association with warm and wet environments. Variants Like the nosalises, shrimps vary greatly in appearance, but can all be categorized into different strains of the same creature, with two common archetypes: Common Shrimp and Amphibians. Hatchling Shrimp Shrimp hatchling can be found all swamps sections of Metro Last Light. These creatures are recognizable from their small size, and appearance something close to crustaceans or cockroaches. These harmless beasts are commonly encountered near dead bodies, of which they likely feast on. Common Shrimp While supposedly non-hostile to humans, Common Shrimp are always threatening to Artyom, even (or especially) when unprovoked. They are best identified by their large size, signature high-pitched squealing, front claw, and armored backs. Common shrimp are rarely a threat to Artyom, even when in large numbers and on high difficulties, the leading factor of this likely being that they have little in the way of attack power, and next to no health when shot anywhere aside from the armored back. They do pose more of a threat when in combination with other, greater, threats, such as demons or amphibian, in part because of their acid spit can muddy Artyom's gas mask and vision. Common shrimp are also reported by the patrons of Venice to smell bad, but are surprisingly edible, and said to taste good with beer. Common shrimp are marked as the females of the species by the game's audio files. Male Shrimp Amphibians, as refered to in loading screen messages, or male shrimp, are the very large and armored male counterpart to the female, and utilizes its claws not only to attack Artyom for moderate range - but to also shield itself from retaliation. Male Shrimps are found solely in the swamps of the surface and are notable for their distinctly crocodilian maws. This jaw structure is uncharacteristic of common shrimp (whose mouths are worm-like and dotted with small, black teeth), making the two types difficult to categorize together. Males are thus theorized to be an adult variant of the common shrimp, a different strain, or simply a different creature altogether. In combat, it should be noted that despite its intimidating range, damage capacity, and armor, the creatures only occasionally pose a genuine threats to Artyom. For one, male remain vulnerable to successive hits - a few well timed or well-aimed shotgun blasts, or assault rifle bursts, will easily ground an attacking shrimp, leaving it vulnerable to be finished off quickly. Equally so are male vulnerable to concussive blasts such as those from claymores, or grenades. It also appears that repeated rounds to the claws will remove sections, and allow the player to fire into the unprotected underside even if the male is shielding itself. Luckily, in many cases it is quite easy to avoid a fight with an male altogether by running around them and continuing on your way, as they are fairly slow and tend to disengage readily. A single blast from one of the shotguns or the Preved is usually enough to kill one, if it hits in the unarmored underbelly of the beast. Bog Shrimp Bog Shrimps, also considered shrimp mothers (though game files would attribute them more to alpha males), are massive camouflaged off-shoots of amphibians reasonably speculated to be elder shrimp. Like the amphibian, bog shrimps are armored on the back and on their front claws, however, due to their size, and tendency to charge, they pose a much greater threat. With several dozen times the amount of health as an amphibian, and nearly twice the range and damage capacity, they are an event to fight - and should always be a priority of concern for players when they are spotted. Like amphibians, bog shrimp are vulnerable to successive and concussive blasts, often separating their claws when charging, about to attack or upon massive damage, leaving room for several hits, should the player be ready. Gallery Shrimp2.png|Head detail of female shrimp. 2013-05-23 00052.jpg|Bog shrimp from the front. 2013-05-23 00055.jpg|Bog shrimp from the side. 2013-05-23 00022.jpg|Amphibian Shrimp from the front. Shrimps mangeant.png|Shrimp from the side. Shrimps metro 2033.png|Shrimp from the back. Baby shrimps.png|Shrimp hatchlings. 2013-05-22 00122.jpg|Shrimp being prepared in Venice. 5a200653a9.jpg|Concept art of the Shrimp 3b67352f62.jpg|Concept art of shrimp's larva (didn't make in the final version) Category:Mutants Category:Metro Last Light Category:Developer Pack DLC